Vehicle lamp having a mixing lens and plurality of spaced apart optical modules

Abstract

A vehicle lamp may include a plurality of optical modules and a mixing lens for mixing light emitted from each optical module in front of the plurality of optical modules, thereby freely designing an optical system without restrictions according to a shape of a lamp, and at the same time, realizing a uniform light emitting image in a form of a surface light source.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A vehicle lamp, comprising:
 a plurality of optical modules each emitting light and spaced apart from each other, wherein the plurality of optical modules includes: 
 at least one first optical module; 
 at least one second optical module; 
 a main lens of the first optical module; and 
 a main lens of the second optical module; 
 wherein the main lens of the first optical module and the main lens of the second optical module are formed of different types of lenses; and 
 a mixing lens arranged in front of the plurality of optical modules and mixing the light emitted from each of the plurality of optical modules to form a light emitting image as a surface light source, wherein the mixing lens is curved backward from an in-board side of a vehicle along an out-board side of the vehicle. 
 
     
     
       2. The vehicle lamp of  claim 1 , wherein a curvature of the mixing lens increases from the in-board side of the vehicle to the out-board side of the vehicle. 
     
     
       3. The vehicle lamp of  claim 1 , wherein the mixing lens is configured such that light passing through the mixing lens becomes parallel light within 1° an incident angle in an entire area in a horizontal direction relative to the mixing lens. 
     
     
       4. The vehicle lamp of  claim 3 , wherein in the mixing lens, an entrance surface on which the light emitted from the optical module is incident is formed to be concave, and an exit surface on which the light passing through the mixing lens is emitted is formed to be convex, and
 a thickness of the mixing lens decreases from the in-board side to the out-board side, and a curvature of the entrance surface and a curvature of the exit surface increase from the in-board side to the out-board side. 
 
     
     
       5. The vehicle lamp of  claim 1 , wherein the mixing lens is configured such that light passing through the mixing lens becomes parallel light within 1° an incident angle in an entire area in a vertical direction. 
     
     
       6. The vehicle lamp of  claim 5 , wherein in the mixing lens, an entrance surface on which the light emitted from the optical module is incident is formed to be concave, and an exit surface on which the light passing through the mixing lens is emitted is formed to be convex, and
 in the mixing lens, a curvature of the entrance surface is larger than that of the exit surface at all positions. 
 
     
     
       7. The vehicle lamp of  claim 1 , wherein the first optical module is arranged on the in-board side, and the second optical module is arranged on the out-board side, and
 the main lens of the first optical module is a concave lens, and the main lens of the second optical module is a convex lens. 
 
     
     
       8. The vehicle lamp of  claim 7 , wherein in the main lens of the first optical module, an entrance surface and an exit surface are concave in a horizontal direction and convex in a vertical direction, and
 in the main lens of the second optical module, an entrance surface and an exit surface are convex in a horizontal direction and convex in a vertical direction. 
 
     
     
       9. The vehicle lamp of  claim 8 , wherein a shield of the first optical module is positioned at a vertical focus position of the main lens of the first optical module. 
     
     
       10. The vehicle lamp of  claim 8 , wherein a horizontal focus and a vertical focus of the main lens of the second optical module are formed at a same position. 
     
     
       11. The vehicle lamp of  claim 10 , wherein a shield of the second optical module is positioned at a horizontal focus position or a vertical focus position of the main lens of the second optical module. 
     
     
       12. The vehicle lamp of  claim 1 , wherein the mixing lens is a single lens. 
     
     
       13. The vehicle lamp of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an outer lens arranged in front of the mixing lens, 
 wherein a curvature of an entrance surface of the outer lens is formed to be a same as that of an exit surface of the mixing lens.